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The Great Unknown
The Great Unknown ''is the eighth studio album by 404, and the first studio album released under that name. It is a concept album about Louis' social and mental regression during his first year of college after previously getting over those issues. The album was originally uploaded to YouTube on November 2, 2016, and was released to bandcamp that same day. Background The ''Poltergeist E.P., ''the previous 404 release, came out of sessions from a planned studio album of the same name. That studio album was going to contain more rock instrumentation than ''Steelhead and would have used more realistic drum samples compared to those on Provoke Habit. Six instrumental tracks were completed for this album, one of which was "Stillborn Sisters." This track would later appear on The Great Unknown. Another previously completed instrumental track that would be used for the album was "Right on Time." This track was created as a Newgrounds instrumental in January 2016. Louis still wanted to pursue this musical direction, but time had passed since those sessions and new ideas had come about as well. He decided to utilize the same drum samples for many tracks. Around the time that the album was in production, Louis had began his first year of college. He found this to be a disorienting and alienating time that had him keeping to himself far more than he was comfortable with. He constantly thought about how his life was changing and how he had no idea if it was going in the right direction. On top of that, his friends were all moving away and becoming more distant. These issues (along with other general fears of the future) became the subject of the album's concept, making the album a concept album. Recording and Production The tracks of The Great Unknown ''use drum samples that were not previously used. The album's mixing was handled similarly to ''Steelhead in that it was heavily focused on to ensure that this album wouldn't be another Provoke Habit, especially for the rock-driven tracks. Music Although The Great Unknown ''uses more rock instrumentation, it is still a hip hop album. The synths and sounds on the album are harsh and heavily distorted, hearkening back to ''Beyond Recognition ''and ''Last Beat of the Heart. Similarly to those releases, The Great Unknown ''is an industrial hip hop album. Some songs are far more rock-inspired than others, however. "Stillborn Sisters" and "Shapeshifter" are the closest that the record comes to full-on rap rock, but tracks like "Right on Time," "Backseat Driving," and "Picture a Zebra in Pakistan" feature strong rock elements. Other tracks like "Enlightened (By the Very Idea of It)" and "This Was Your Fault" are much closer to experimental hip hop, using strange sounds and abrasive tones. Concept ''The Great Unknown ''is a concept album about Louis' social and mental regression during his first year of college after previously getting over social anxiety. The topic of overcoming mental illness was previously covered on ''Happy Pills, but The Great Unknown ''marks a return to the same problems Louis thought he had gotten over. The album details various fears that Louis had at the time, all adding up to one whole of peak anxiety that he hadn't experienced at that level before. The album opens with "Right on Time," which is written from the perspective of some unknown aggressor who threatens to expose Louis' deepest-held insecurities and blast them to the public. This was one of Louis' fears at the time, especially as he was entering what would become his professional life. This opener seeks to pull the listener in to the paranoid and insecure theme of the album. "Stillborn Sisters" is about Louis' inability to handle college and the constant insistence on "moving up" and getting a professional life. "Steady As She Goes" handles a similar topic. Many tracks on the album deal with Louis' fear of his friends moving away. This is not expressed as a fear, but as an inevitability on tracks like "This Was Your Fault" and "Lip Service." "Enlightened (By the Very Idea of It)" is only loosely related to the concept, in that it touches upon fearing "the great unknown," but it is mostly a sort of brag rap. The two tracks that follow, "Aerodynamics" and "Shapeshifter" seem unrelated but actually do tie into to the concept of the album. The former is a very short poem about how one thing will pull Louis down from moving forward, in this case that one thing is anxiety. The latter is about the political climate of the time, specifically about political corruption of the Democratic party. It doesn't relate to Louis directly but it is a fear that he had at the time, merely adding to his overall discomfort. "Picture a Zebra in Pakistan" closes the album by summing up the concept. The track begins with Louis tearing down himself and explaining how much he doesn't want to do any of the things that he is tasked to do. He then sarcastically repeats that "just because he's not successful doesn't mean he's not successful." When the song builds, Louis continues to scream "I don't belong here," referring to his feeling of alienation from everyone around him. The album ends on the lyrics "You'll miss me when I leave. I'm missing you, and I'm still here," pointing out that he already feels like everything has escaped him before it even has. Album Art The concept for the album art was initially a tunnel that never-ends. This is what the final album art is trying to convey. It is actually an image of a wall that is radially blurred to the point where it just looks like a black and grey spiral. It is the first studio album art of 404's to feature no text whatsoever (Poltergeist ''previously did this, but it was an E.P.). Track Listing Personnel Louis Falgout - vocals, production, writerCategory:Albums